No, I haven’t missed a day out, it’s just disappeared. Overnight we cross the international date line and it goes from Saturday 5 June to the same time on Monday 7 June. So now instead of being 12 hours behind the UK we are suddenly 12 hours ahead. How weird is that? What a pity my birthday isn’t three weeks earlier – I could have stayed my age for another year!
I am on watch from 2 am until 6 am as Mike wants to be awake when we arrive in the Vava’u group of islands. I go back to bed at 6 am not expecting to sleep, but don’t wake up until 10 am.
This group of islands look from a distance like a load of tea cakes. They all seem to be round, straight up from the sea and smooth on top.
Photos: Outlying islands of the Vava’u group, Tonga
We navigate around them using more waypoints than we have probably used in the whole distance so far and eventually arrive at the dock where all the officials are due to come aboard. Paul from WCC is there to take our lines and I admonish him for not being in Niue for my obligatory hug. I will get him tonight (poor boy).
Firstly the customs official arrives and the paperwork is completed quickly and efficiently. Then the guys from health and quarantine arrive. The actual paperwork doesn’t take long but when Mike offers them a drink of water, they ask for beer, and then another beer. I get the feeling that this could go on for a while and disappear down below to lie on the bed and read. Welcome to Tonga!
Eventually though, he manages to get rid of them, Paul lets our lines go and we motor across the bay to find a mooring buoy. Going through the bay is like being in Cooper Island in jelly fish rush hour. There are thousands of them. We are warned not to put on our generator (fat chance) or water maker (even more fat chance without the generator) as boats have been fishing jelly fish out of every inlet pipe that there is. Great! At least it means that our daughter, Victoria, won’t be jealous of this particular location – she hates jelly fish with a vengeance.
Photos: Some of the thousands of ‘flompers’ aka jelly fish
We are still finding some flying ants that joined us in Niue. Most of them are dead (hurray) but every now and then we find one that looks sluggish, like it is suffering from sea sickness (hurray). They are easy to kill and flick overboard but I wonder how many more of them will literally crawl out of the woodwork. Thank goodness all the hatches were shut when they arrived!
Mike finds some internet connection then we have a late lunch and fall asleep, not waking up until 6.20 pm and we have to be at the prize giving at 7 pm. I dive in the shower and manage to get myself ready in time. We join a table with the crews from Lady Liza, Tucanon and Skylark and are given a rum punch and the usual beautiful flower garland. These are the most elaborate I have seen so far, but the perfume is so heady it quickly makes you feel a bit nauseated and they are a bit scratchy so Mike and I remove ours and put them on the table as decoration.
We are given a great complimentary buffet meal, and we watch a show of dancing by the staff. It’s all very gentle with delicate arm movements – not the stomping stuff of the Marquesas which I much prefer.
Photos: Tongan dancing
Mike leaves early with a headache as he only had two hours sleep last night but I stay behind to chat and dance (I have Jim to blame for that one and he has far too much energy!) It is announced that Peter from Asolare has decided to pull out from the fleet early and spend time in New Zealand and Australia so we all say goodbye and he buys everyone a drink. Cheers Peter!
Photo: Peter and I
Suzanna from WCC is also leaving tomorrow and heading back to the UK. We will next see her in Mackay, Australia.
Photo: Suzanna and I
Eventually, as things start to wind down, I cadge a lift from John and Donal. It’s a voyage of discovery as John heads out to find Jeannius as we have no torch and I can’t quite remember where she is anchored, but eventually we spot her and I manage to get out of the dinghy without falling in the water. Phew!
Our position is: 18 deg 39 min S, 173 deg 58 min W
Distance so far: 8182 nautical miles
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